1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Plasma Display Panel (PDP) and, more particularly, to a PDP that prevents an increase in manufacturing cost due to an addition of a reinforcing material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, flat panel display devices have attracted attention as image display devices replacing conventional television sets using Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs). Such flat panel display devices include Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) that have succeeded in commercialization, Plasma Display Panels (PDPs) and electroluminescent devices (ELDs). Moreover, research aimed at developing Field Emission Displays (FEDs) and vacuum fluorescent displays have continued to progress actively.
Among them, PDPs are display devices using light emission by an electrical discharge that may be readily fabricated in a large size and capable of processing digital images. Accordingly, PDPs have been widely used along with Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs).
A PDP includes a display panel in which discharge cells are established, a chassis base supporting the display panel, and a driving circuit attached to the chassis base and connected to the display panel through a Flexible Flat Cable (FFC).
The chassis base has various uses such as a common ground of the driving circuit and the like along with the mechanical function of supporting the display panel and the driving circuit. Moreover, the chassis base performs an important role in radiating heat generated in the display panel and the driving circuit. Such a chassis base is fabricated lightly and strongly using aluminum or an alloy thereof. To this end, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the PDP only with a change in the chassis base structure or with a reduction in the materials needed for the chassis base. To making the most of these advantages, the conventional PDP has used the chassis base wherein the thickness thereof is minimized except for a portion required for maintaining its strength and a reinforcing material is adopted to reinforce a portion on which a physical force is concentrated. Moreover, using a conductive material corresponding to the chassis base as the reinforcing material added to the chassis base makes it possible to ensure a stable common ground and utilize the chassis base as means for radiating heat as well.
The chassis base and the reinforcing material are also used as means for radiating heat in the FFC as well as in the display panel. A portion of driving units in the PDP, i.e., an address driving unit, connects the driving circuit to the display panel with a Tape Carrier Package (TCP). A driving chip is mounted in the TCP connecting the address driving unit to the display panel. Since signals of a high voltage supplied to the display panel are continuously supplied to the driving chip, the driving chip generates heat more than the other elements and is thereby frequently damaged. On this account, the heat radiation is supported using a separate heat radiating member, such as a reinforcing material or a heat sink, in the conventional art.
However, the reinforcing material added to the chassis base has some drawbacks in that it must be manufactured by a separate manufacturing process and a process for adding the reinforcing material thereto is needed, which is of no help to the reduction of manufacturing cost, but rather increases the manufacturing cost. Moreover, there exists an inconvenience in that a separate means for connecting the reinforcing member is further required.